Editing Gato-class submarine (section)

===''AA-1'' class and V-boats===
The ''Gato''-class ships were considered to be [[fleet submarine]]s, designed to operate as adjuncts to the main battle fleet, based on [[standard-type battleship]]s since [[World War I]]. They were to scout out ahead of the fleet and report on the enemy fleet's composition, speed, and course, then they were to attack and whittle down the enemy in preparation for the main fleet action, a titanic gun battle between [[battleship]]s and [[cruiser]]s. This was an operational concept born from experience in World War I. To operate effectively in this role, a submarine had to have high surface speed, long range and endurance, and heavy armament.<ref>{{harvnb|Friedman|1995|pp=99–104}}</ref> Limitations in submarine design and construction in the 1920s and 1930s made this combination of qualities very difficult to achieve.<ref>{{harvnb|Alden|1979|p=5}}</ref> The U.S. Navy experimented constantly with this concept in the post-World War I years, producing a series of submarines with less than stellar qualities and reliability, the {{sclass|AA-1|submarine|4}} (also known as the T class) and the [[V-boat]]s, of which ''V-1'' through ''V-3'' were an unsuccessful attempt to produce a fleet submarine.<ref>{{harvnb|Alden|1979|loc=Part I}}</ref>